It most likely will be getting back some firepower with the return of Aaron Holmes, just in time for today’s 7 p.m. game against Rice at Fogelman Arena.

The senior swingman missed consecutive games with meniscus damage in his left knee. The joint was too swollen and painful for him to play on for about two weeks.

But Holmes was feeling OK before last Saturday’s game at Southern Mississippi, and Tulane Coach Ed Conroy put him in the starting lineup. With a day off Sunday, Conroy wanted to get Holmes back on the court, though he had been limited in practices leading up to the game.

“It was probably our best chance to keep him out there as long as we can, and see if we can get our timing back and think long term with him,” Conroy said.

During a seven-game stretch a few weeks ago, Holmes averaged 15.3 points in 29.3 minutes. But after injuring his knee against East Carolina two weeks ago, he aggravating the meniscus injury and was shut down from practice and games.

He was much more involved in practices this week and participated in most of Tuesday’s workout.

“I think now hopefully we won’t get into a mode where it’s complete shutdown like it was the last couple weeks,” Conroy said. “When we go through our offensive execution or our defensive scouting report, if we can get him out there at least so he has timing and familiarity with his teammates’ timing in the game, then he can get back to being as productive as he was.”

Holmes said just getting out on the court against the Golden Eagles and playing 27 minutes was a boon to himself and the team. He had three assists and a steal and scored three points — no offensive bounty, but a point from which to build.

“I was pretty excited to get back out there,” Holmes said. “I was in a little bit of pain, but I didn’t want to use that as an excuse — but I just tried to do whatever I could to help us win.”

Winning tonight probably won’t be as easy as the first time Tulane played the Owls. The Green Wave (12-8, 2-5 C-USA) got its first conference victory against Rice, 85-81 in Houston on Jan. 5.

But Rice (10-11, 2-5) has improved the past three weeks with its best player, Arsalan Kazemi, leading the way. Kazemi averages 16.4 points and 11.4 rebounds.

Holmes said though the Green Wave is wary of Kazemi’s talents, Tulane is confident in its leader, Kendall Timmons.

Timmons is averaging 17.5 points and nine rebounds despite drawing the brunt of opposing defenses’ attention. But he and guard Jordan Callahan, who had a team-high 20 points against Southern Miss, can’t do it alone.

There were several long dry spells in the 67-54 loss to the Golden Eagles. The Green Wave’s point total was its lowest since it scored 52 against Nicholls State on Nov. 26.

Conroy said he isn’t satisfied with the execution on offense. His team’s spacing is off, and that is caused by breakdowns in movement, Conroy said. But it certainly won’t hurt Tulane if Holmes is back on the court tonight.

“He really is definitely a day-to-day, probably half-hour to half-hour deal,” Conroy said. “I’m constantly checking with (the training staff) to see what his status is and where he’s at. … He was able to practice some (on Monday and Tuesday), and certainly he’s a valuable piece of what we do.”